Archive for the 'Button/Switch' Category

Fibretronic made a blazing start into the 2008 Wearable Electronic year with the introduction of the CONNECTED-wear™ program.

The uniqueness of this new system from Fibretronic is the separation of the textile component, the keypad that goes into clothing and fashion accessories, from the control electronics, the small box that is talking to the iPod, cellphone or audio player in your pocket or bag.

The consumer activates his/her garment or bag according the needs by purchasing an electronic module from the CONNECTED-wear™ product range which will be available from selected retailers and online.

Initially the CONNECTED-wear™ modules will be available for iPod, MP3 player and music phones.

The flexibility of selecting after the purchase of a garment or bag the product compatibility comes from the standardized system of the CONNECTED-wear™ range. Such a standardized systems allows the mix and match of modules and clothing as well as the addition of new functions as they are developed for future products and make so your clothing or bag purchase compatible with future generations of personal electronic devices.

The benefits of CONNECTED-wear™ are huge:

• Low entry costs for apparel manufacturers allowing them to integrate the controls in a wide range of garments and soft goods.
• The customer decides which electronic module he/she wants to work with the CONNECTED-wear™ garment.
• The electronic modules can be transferred between CONNECTED-wear™ enabled garments.

Soon we will find hand-tags on clothing and bags informing us about the CONNECTED-wear™ readiness of the product that adds interactivity to our fashion.

My article about the outlook of Wearable Electronic in 2008 is not even 24 hours online but with this announcement from Fibretronic I feel confident that my expectation of meeting and exceeding the VDC forecast for 2008 is well in reach thanks to new concepts like the CONNECTED-wear™ system.

Make sure you subscribe to our e-Newsletter (see upper right sidebar) to be one of the first to read about the new CONNECTED-wear™ ready clothing line.

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Fibretronic’s Fiddler joystick system known from the Levi’s Redwire Jeans enables you to upgrade your outfit to work with your iPod.

The joystick module comes together with the iPod interface electronics in a blister pack. It allows easy attachment / detachment of the iPod controller to any clothing and soft goods.

The first company that picked up this module and created a clothing line with it in mind is ToBe Technology, a Swedish manufacturer of hip snow sports clothing.

ToBe’s iPod enabled Jackets are designed for easy integration of Fibretronic’s iPod control module giving their customers the flexibility to interchange the control system between different garments in ToBe’s product range.

The module itself has on its base Velcro which allows the attachment on any type of garment or soft good like bags where there is a patch of Velcro and provisions to guide the textile cable to the inside of the garment or bag where the control electronic box and the iPod connector is placed.

I guess this is music in the ears for the creative folks among our readers.

A excellent idea which gives a great deal of freedom to clothing manufacturer, to clothing designer and to people who like to design their own clothing or upgrade their existing Jackets or bags.

We found the module itself on ToBe’s online store for $ 75.- a bit on the high side for an iPod controller but there might be hope that this module becomes available by other retailers for a lower price - if we may send this wish towards Fibretronic.

It’s a fabulous concept that might motivate quite some people to consider adding the iPod function to their outfit.

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Eleksen is on the way to set a new standard on how interactive apparel will be made with the launch of the eSystem™ according to a press release from businesswire.com

I have first seen samples of the eSystem™ last June during the Avantex in Germany which has the potential to revolutionize the interactive apparel business.

This solution offers a high degree of flexibility and lets the consumer decide which personal electronic devices they want to control with their interactive clothing.

The different eSystem™ modules are sold separately (see image above) which allows the consumer to select the functionality matching the gadgets they own. Consumers could buy more than one module and, depending on the function needed on certain occasions, plug in the eSystem™ module that fits best the situation.

The eSystem™ consist of three new sensors incorporating Eleksen’s new SensorID™ technology, which allow apparel designers to use any of 16 different six-button layouts in their designs with any eSystem™ control electronics.

The eSystem™ will also help the apparel manufacturers and retailers by taking out the burden of managing electronics on their part while Eleksen assumes the responsibility for their module development, production, technology licensing and after-sales customer support.

This all sounds great to me and I would expect with more simplicity everywhere, by designer, manufacturer, retailer and us the consumer, the cost of interactive apparel and bags could go down as well and Wearable Electronic can become part of our everyday outfit.

According Eleksen, the first eSystem™ ready apparels are expected to hit the stores in fall 2008.

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A few days ago we posted about Fitright’s China Coin and mentioned 12 functions are supported to control the iPod.

Up to now we talked about 5 functions that are used in most of the iPod compatible Clothing and Bags. Many of our readers asked us what other functions are supported by the China Coin.

To clarify this, we have the following overview:

This multiple functionality of each of the 5 keys are part of the iPod control incterface which is supported by other remote controls as well.

The China Coin works essentially in the same way as the ’standard’ 5 Key remote control = in total 12 different functions.

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Light attracts more than anything else our attention, gives comfort and literally - lightens up our life.

A new name, although not a newcomer in the Wearable Electronic field, Fitright Industrial, announced in their press release the ‘China Coin‘, a keypad for the integration into clothing or bags, that is illuminated.

We managed to get a first peek at the keypad modules as you can see on the photos below.

“We are very excited about ‘China Coin’. Everybody who sees it wants to touch it and be seen wearing it. Our inspiration was a fusion of the ancient China coins from the Han Dynasty dating back 2,000 years ago together with the modern design of the iPod explains FITRIGHT’s President Michael Corbett.

“Our customers can focus on beautiful finished products while we manufacture their customized electronics package + manage the Apple MFI program for them.”

East meets West or in our words, Aesthetic meets the Future of Fashion

The China Coin keypad is based on soft Polymer material, is 100% washable, has good tactile feeling and comes in many different colors for the keypad material as well as for the illumination color of the keypad.

The module works seamless with the iPod which can give up to 12! different intuitive commands to the iPod. That’s a lot more than we have seen so far on all the 5/6 functions (on/off, volume up/down and previous/next song) just don’t know yet what that will be.

The light goes on when you touch the keypad and stays lit up as long as the iPod is on. It’s designed to remind users that the iPod is switched on. That’s not always obvious if your iPod is in pause mode or very low volume. You don’t see that without looking on the screen. If the light on the keypad is off – the iPod is off, naturally.

The power for the keypad light comes from the iPod (no need for additional batteries) which  will cost less than 5% of the iPod’s battery capacity, a small price for the sparkle and convenience to navigate your iPod.

According to the press release, Fitright has produced already Wearable Electronic products for a list of companies over the last 5 years.

That makes it very likely to see soon the first products using the China Coin in the shops. We will keep our eyes and ears open for news from this sparkling iPod keypad.

For more information, please check out the press release.

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Because Wearable Electronic is mainly about merging textiles with electronic and because textiles are the most common material we human beings are in contact with every day in many different forms and situations. Therefore, it is no wonder that sooner or later other products that are not on our bodies but made of textiles, using Intelligent Textile or Smart Fabric technologies, are emerging.

Point in case: International Fashion Machines, short ‘IFM‘, has created light dimmer for your room lightning, based on Electro Textiles.

IFM has a wide range of different colors (see above) and different styles (see blow).

The switches are made from IFM’s patented electronic textile that magically senses your touch. Gently touch the electronic textile (the silver grey part) and the light changes the intensity like by any other dimmer. But on this switch, you touch a warm, soft material and not a plastic or metal plate.

IMF’s electronic textile is designed to resist stains, dirt and bacteria. It has anti-microbial and stain resistant treatment and needs no cleaning. Last but not least important: it is made of 90% post consumer recycled materials!

For the DIY enthusiasts, IFM is offering - you guessed it, a Do-It-Yourself switch kit to let your fantasy complete freedom.

This DIY possibility is one of the aspects we love very much in the Wearable Electronic: it’s relatively easy to do with very simple ‘every day’ tools and materials except the Smart Fabric, but that is provided by IFM.

The different switches and the DIY-Kit is available directly by IFM and cost $ 99.- each

Unleash the designer inside yourself and give a soft and smart touch to your home.

[via: techwear]

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Fibretronic has announced the signing of a deal with Apple Computer securing entry into the ‘Made-for-iPod’ licensing program. This agreement enables Fibretronic to develop and market ready-to-integrate iPod control products for wearable electronics applications in garments, bags and other soft-goods.

Fibretronic’s customers will no longer have to obtain a license from Apple to sell iPod enabled products. Under the new license from Apple, Fibretronic is able to directly supply the required technology for iPod integration, shortening and simplifying the development and production pathway for its customers. Companies wishing to produce iPod controls in garments, bags, backpacks or other soft products can get all their iPod interface technology requirements using Fibretronic as a single source from development through to commercialization.

This indicates, Fibretronic is getting more active and aggressive after the Wearable Electronic market by making it more convenient for potential customers from the apparel and bag industry to use a ready made solution.

As far as we know, Eleksen still requires their customer to obtain a license for the ‘Made-for-iPod’ and arrange the delivery of iPod dock connectors from Apple’s approved supplier.

We say: a good move from Fibretronic and we are awaiting eagerly the first product announcements / launches with Fibretronic keypad.

[via: technical-textile.net]

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How cool would it be to snap with your finger to witch on or off your iPod or Computer or many other of the gadgets around you. Or play a cool game on your Wii with this glove! Al least this controller will not smash your TV.

Researchers at Engineered Fibre Structures (EFS), a University of Manchester spin-out, are very close to give us just this, a soft-fabric electronic glove that remotely controls equipment via a Bluetooth connection.

The glove is produced from standard acrylic or stretch-nylon base yarn and it can be made on a conventional industrial knitting machine. The wearable device looks and feels like a normal glove, except it has conductive pathways knitted into the material. The fingers are tipped with contactors, so if you put your thumb together with any other finger, you create a electric circuit and pang, you can activate anything that is designed to receive those signals.

Navigate your way with your fingertips trough documents in a office application or add a new interaction experience to your online world.

The glove was recently patented by EFS, and the company’s engineers believe its current configuration is best designed for gaming. Billy Hunter, the lead commercial director for the product, said this sort of application would be a commercial success judging by current trends. ‘You’ve got all these sort of things out now like Nintendo Wii,’ he said.

The Control Glove can be used in patient rehabilitation in healthcare, as a controller in video games, as a computer interface, and as a communications device, for industrial, security and military applications.

According to the engineers involved in this project, they are content with the current configuration of the glove, but for certain applications they might need to do some redesigning.

‘The textile part of the glove is more or less done,’ said Hunter. ‘If necessary, we can change the configuration fairly easily. What we need to do now is to miniaturise the electronics in the Bluetooth.’

Now let’s hope that we will see very soon the Fingertip control glove inaction with our Wii.

[source: The Engineer online]

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